Kejriwal invokes Satyagraha, skips Delhi HC hearing today
AAP chief loses faith in judge, refuses court appearance personally or through lawyer in Delhi excise case proceedings
Kejriwal’s Gandhian Defiance: Boycotting the Judge He Distrusts
In a bold, deeply personal letter penned on April 27, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal drew a line in the sand. Addressing Delhi High Court Judge Swarana Kanta Sharma directly, he declared he won’t show up—neither in person nor through lawyers—for the excise policy case. It’s a move laced with quiet resolve, the kind that echoes from India’s freedom struggle into today’s gritty political arena.
This isn’t impulsive. It stems from Kejriwal’s failed recusal plea on April 20, where he begged the judge to step aside over alleged bias and conflicts. Justice Sharma refused, but Kejriwal’s letter lays it bare, raw and unfiltered—two gnawing concerns that still haunt him.
First, her ties to the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad (ABAP), which he calls the RSS’s legal arm, woven into the BJP’s ideological web. Kejriwal points to former Supreme Court judge Justice Abhay S. Oka, who shunned ABAP invites while on the bench, wary of its politics. Kejriwal wonders aloud in his letter, his words carrying the weight of a man questioning fairness in a system he once championed.
But the real gut-punch? A glaring conflict: both of Justice Sharma’s children are empaneled on Union Government legal panels, their gigs doled out by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta—the very prosecutor gunning for Kejriwal. RTI data paints a stark picture: her son snagged 5,904 dockets from 2023-2025, topping charts among 700 counsels. At Rs. 9,000 per appearance, that’s crores flowing in. Timeline raises eyebrows—Sharma elevated to High Court in March 2022; son empaneled five months later. By late 2025, both kids held prime spots in High Court and Supreme Court panels. Kejriwal asks, his voice in the letter trembling with betrayal.
Worse, the April 20 rejection order deepened the rift. Kejriwal bristles at its tone: accusations of him “hurling” claims, painting him as a politician intimidating the bench, dodging the real issues. How do I start fresh on a clean slate?”
Enter Gandhi’s shadow. Kejriwal frames his boycott as pure Satyagraha: voice injustice, check your heart, then resist non-violently, owning the fallout. “I may prejudice my case, lose my voice here—but I’m ready,” he affirms. He’ll skip only tainted proceedings, appearing elsewhere unless Mehta, BJP, or RSS loom. It’s principled civil disobedience, risking bail, freedom, everything for perceived justice.
What’s next? Kejriwal eyes Supreme Court appeals against the recusal snub. He urges the letter on record, swearing his beef isn’t with the judiciary writ large. Respect for courts endures,” he closes.
In New Delhi’s pressure cooker, this feels bigger than lawyering. It’s a cry for transparency, a leader betting his liberty on moral high ground. Will it sway hearts, or harden lines? Only time—and perhaps higher courts—will tell.